A few years ago, broadcaster Ralph Lawler was in Memphis for the Clippers’ playoff series against the Grizzlies when he realized he’d packed everything but a blazer. Before leaving for the arena, he hurried downstairs to a men’s store in his hotel’s lobby, desperate to find a jacket measuring either 42 or 43 long.
During a nationally televised NBA double-header that included the Clippers’ matchup with the Sacramento Kings, Lawler joined broadcasters, team officials and coaches around the country who donned their most garish outfits as a tribute to the late Craig Sager, the sideline reporter best known for his decades of wearing loud combinations of blazers, ties and shirts on air for Turner Sports.